2015

1992

New York, December 22, 2014--The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the passage of a new broadcast law in Uruguay today, which has strong guarantees for freedom of expression and forbids censorship. The law, which was introduced in May 2013 by President José Mujica, is aimed at regulating radio and television with the goal of creating a diverse and competitive broadcast system, according to news reports. The law awaits Mujica's signature before he leaves office on March 1, 2015.

Following CPJ's release of its report on
the state of press freedom in the United States, the organization is pursuing
high-level meetings with the White House. CPJ had drafted six recommendations that were shared with President Obama, including calling for
a guarantee that journalists would not be at legal risk or prosecuted for
receiving confidential and/or classified information.

CPJ continues to work toward
securing a meeting with the Obama administration in order to discuss the
report's findings.

"Given our 32-year
history fighting for press freedom around the world, we believe CPJ can make an
important contribution to the press freedom concerns and debate in the United
States," CPJ Chairman Sandy Rowe wrote in a
blog published the day after the report.

During a meeting with CPJ, and representatives from Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders at the president's
executive office in Montevideo, the political capital, the former member of the
leftist guerrilla group Tupamaros reflected on the upcoming congressional
debate over new broadcast legislation. "It is our duty to ensure universal
access to radio and television and contribute to freedom of information,"
Mujica added.

Dear OAS Ministers of Foreign Affairs: Ahead of the assembly of the Organization of American States on Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists urges you to oppose any attempts to debilitate the regional human rights system. The failure of member states to preserve the autonomy and independence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and its special rapporteur on freedom of expression would make citizens throughout the hemisphere more vulnerable to human rights violations and represent a blow to democracy in the Americas.

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New York, June 11,
2009--The Committee to Protect Journalists commends the Uruguayan Congress'
approval on Wednesday of a bill that repeals criminal
defamation on issues of public interest involving officials. The bill is now under
consideration of President Tabaré Vázquez for signing it into law.

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In response to the approval yesterday by the Uruguayan Senate of a bill that repeals criminal defamation on issues of public interest involving officials, and eliminates a disrespect provision, we issued the following statement today...